Poland finds tainted eggs imported from Germany

"The eggs did not reach consumers and will be destroyed or returned to their German supplier," Poland's Chief Sanitary Inspectorate said in a statement. 

The shipments of hard-boiled and peeled eggs ended up in three different regions of Poland. They all contain fipronil, a chemical commonly used to get rid of fleas, lice and ticks from animals.

But fipronil is banned by the EU from use in the food industry as large doses can harm people's kidneys, liver and thyroid glands.

Polish authorities were informed about the fipronil-tainted eggs by an EU-wide rapid alert system, the inspectorate's statement said.

Neighbouring Slovakia said Thursday it had discovered a similar batch of hard-boiled and peeled tainted eggs imported from Germany.

The European Commission said Friday that tainted eggs from European poultry farms had been found in Hong Kong and Switzerland as well as 15 EU countries. DM